The National Park Retezat
Retezat is the most complex and grandiose mountain massive from the Romanian Carpathians. The landscape is dominated by alpine tops over 2000 meters, there are 20 tops of this kind. The relief is the result of two big glacations, Riss and Wurm, there is remarked the existence of a strong climate modeling, that resulted in stairs (Borascu, Ses river, Gornovita). The National Park Retezat was founded in 1935 by the professor Alexandru Borza. Nowadays the park is considered natural area of national and international interest.
The National Park Retezat is situated in the western part of the Meridional Carpathains and lies on a surface of 28138 hectares from the Massive Retezat-Godeanu. The park is famous for its flora and fauna diversity, sheltering about 1190 superior plants, 90 taxons, 130 rare plants, 50 species of mammals, 168 species of birds, 9 species of reptiles, 5 species of amphibians.
Since 1999 the park has had its own administration, in 2004 it became member of the Pan Parks foundation and from 2007 it is protected as a result of the proposal to become a sit for the European Ecology Nature 2000, to preserve the natural habitants and the species of wild plants and animals of interest.
Here there can be found about 80 lakes, among which 58 permanents, so that the Massive Retezat has about 40% of the glacial lakes from the territory of Romania. The most important glacial lakes are Bucura, the widest glacial lake from the country, and Zanoaga, being 29 meters deep.
The glacial lake from the area attract each year the admiration of a great number of tourists, among which 30% are foreigners.
There are many tourist tracks to: Loloaia Waterfall, Bucura Lake, Peleaga Top (2509 m altitude and it is the highest from Retezat mountains), Stanisoara Lake, Gales Lake, Zanoaga Lake.
The tourists can visit the following citadels, castles and churches from the area: The Colt Citadel, probably built in the 15th century and presents the possible location of the action from the book “The Castle from Carpati”, written by Jules Verne. Ulpia Traiana Sarmisegetusa, the old capital of the Roman Dacia, founded between 108-110; The Castle Santamarie Orlea, Densus Churchl Santmarie Orlea Citadel, Prislop Monastery, Colt Monastery.
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